Body Mechanics and Aids for Psoriatic Arthritis

Good form and special devices can help you protect your joints.

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In people with psoriatic arthritis, the immune system attacks the joints themselves. For this reason, it's important to avoid excessive stress or pressure on your joints. Common methods of protecting joints include the following:

Use proper body mechanics. Your body was designed to move efficiently and each joint has an ideal range of motion. Proper body mechanics simply means that you move in a natural way and avoid putting your joints in unnatural or vulnerable positions. Maintaining good posture is one of the easiest ways to make sure you are protecting your joints.

More tips for maintaining good body mechanics:

While sitting, keep your knees at or slightly below hip level.

While typing, position your keyboard about two inches below your bent elbows.

While standing, avoid stooping or hunching. If you're going to be standing for a while, you may want to put one foot on a step or small box and alternate feet every few minutes.

While lifting, bend your knees and hips to avoid straining your back.

While carrying objects, hold them close to your chest and cradle them with your forearms if possible.

Don't stay in one position for extended periods of time. Whether sitting, standing or lying down, it's helpful to change positions frequently to avoid stiffness or overuse.

Protect the small joints of the hands and wrists. Most of us use the joints in our hands and fingers extensively each day. To avoid pain and fatigue, it's important to limit the amount of stress on these joints. Some things to keep in mind:

Avoid prolonged grasping, typing or pinching. Use a shoulder bag rather than a purse with handles. Hold items in your palms or cradled in your forearms rather then gripped with your fingers.

Avoid gripping small handles. Consider using kitchen tools that have large, ergonomic handles that make gripping easier and less stressful.

To protect smaller joints, when you can, try to use the largest muscles and joints for a specific task. For example, when pushing open a door, use both hands or lean your body weight into the door rather than pushing it open with just one hand.

Pace yourself. To conserve energy and decrease stress, it's helpful to alternate rest with activity. Break chores up into several smaller tasks and rest between each one. For example, instead of vacuuming the entire house, do one room at a time and do another activity between them. Another way to reduce overstressing the joints is to work at a slow and steady pace and take short breaks to stretch and rest.

By using certain tools or devices such as kitchen utensils that have large, comfortable handles, you can make daily tasks easier. Canes and reaching aids are useful for some people with psoriatic arthritis, and splints can help rest your joints. Your doctor or physical therapist can help you find appropriate devices for your situation.

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